‘‘
Because of my disability I need a support worker to go to the loo at work. The problem is the State
Government will pay for the worker at home but not at work. For that I need a different type of funding.
Why are people with disability subject to such demeaning treatment?
’’
– Rhiannon, 29, Carlton
Ask the Agony Aunts
Australia has fought wars to ensure the rights of its citizens, but as our question
reveals the rights of people with disability have largely been ignored.
Keep your questions coming and our Agony Aunts will do their best to answer them.
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The views and opinions of Milly Parker and Father Bob expressed in this article are not intended to represent professional advice.
Says Father Bob:
It’s appalling, demeaning and unconscionable. No human
should be treated like a caged animal, yet we do this time
and again. Not every person with a disability needs your
level of support, but every person with a disability faces
disadvantage in some form.
Most people on the dole have worked and will do so again,
but people in your situation Rhiannon will always need
government funding. In my opinion, that support lacks
a moral conviction. It’s like throwing a dog a bone to keep
it from starving, but only after it has to beg to be fed.
I know we’re entering a brave new world in disability
rights, but it seems more like a shuffle than a march
towards equity and fairness.
If you have a
question for our
Agony Aunts,
please email it
to agonyaunts
@yooralla.com.au
If your letter is
longer than the
Great Wall of
China we
reserve the
right to
edit it.
Father Bob Maguire is the irrepressible
‘mad priest’ (self-described). When it
comes to the Catholic Church, this selfless
man of God is a perpetual pain in the
you know where. Although the church
hierarchy was done with him, Father
Bob wasn’t done with the church. In 2003
he established the Father Bob Maguire
Foundation which continues to feed,
support, nurture and uplift those who
need a helping hand Money is always in
short supply so please consider supporting
Father Bob’s mission. You can read it all at
www.fatherbobsfoundation.com.au
Says Milly:
Because of space we didn’t include your question in full,
but what your situation shows is that people with disability
are treated like second-class citizens. The ‘system’ wasn’t
meant to be like this but historically people with disability
didn’t have a ‘voice’ or mentors in positions of power
to advocate for them, so the flaws only got worse.
The bureaucracy involved in having a pee would not be
tolerated by the able-bodied nor would the lack of self-
respect. This is a human rights issue and the best way
to address it is to write to your State and Federal MPs
and relevant government agencies.
I’d love to hold a day when
workers agree to only pee
twice in eight hours so
they know what it’s
like to be you.
Milly Parker is the Yooralla Disability
Ambassador. At 21 she acquired a brain
injury (ABI) as a result of a car accident.
It changed her life ... for the better! Sick
of being told she was broken and useless,
Milly gave the world a two-finger salute
and is now a successful businesswoman,
public speaker on disability issues and
mentor. Her business ‘Happy Yappers’
has won numerous awards and is her
pride and joy. For all the goss go to
www.happyyappers.com.au